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Zachary Agustin Cerrone, 33 of Wellsboro, was charged on Thursday with two counts each of institutional sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, and corruption of minors, as well as three counts of indecent assault related to incidents at Middletown Area High School, the Lower Swatara Township police announced on Friday, Feb. 9.
The charges stem from an investigation in the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services tip of Child Abuse made on Dec. 8, 2023, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
A female student said to authorities who wrote in the affidavit that Cerrone would "stare at her genitals," "touched her buttock, shoulders, and elbows on several occasions while in the classroom," and told her that she "looked good."
The girl said the touches and remarks made her uncomfortable and were unwanted.
A female staff member at the school told the police that Cerrone would "rub his penis against her body as he walked behind her in the classroom," as stated in the affidavit. She informed authorities she directly told Cerrone to stop but he continued, according to the court documents.
Other staff members came forward and "expressed concerns about Cerrone's interaction with female students" and two students and a staff member told police his behavior made them feel "extremely uncomfortable," the police detailed in the affidavit.
Cerrone was previously a boys wrestling coach at Hershey High and he resigned from the Middletown School District at a board meeting on Jan. 16, 2024, according to the meeting minutes.
His preliminary arraignment was held before Judge Michael J. Smith at 2 p.m. on Feb. 9 where bail was set at $25,000, his updated court docket shows. His preliminary hearing is set before Smith at 1:30 p.m. on March 13.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Lower Swatara police Det. Robert Appleby with the Lower Swatara Township Police Dept. at 717-648-8665 or 717-558-6900.
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